VDOT to go over their snow budget by at least $100 million

Norfolk, Va. – The Virginia Department of Transportation released a statement Wednesday announcing that they will likely exceed their $157 million snow budget by more than $100 million.

That means the department will have to cut into the state’s $1.8 billion maintenance budget.

“Make no mistake, this winter has put a strain on our maintenance budget,” said Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne. “However, we have sufficient resources to ensure our roads are well-kept and we will continue to be good stewards of public funds. This winter has been rough, but we’re committed to delivering a safe and reliable transportation system.”

Officials say this won’t have any impact on essential services like pothole patching or repaving. However, they are considering a number of options to help offset the extra snow cost.

The options they are considering include:

Extending completion dates of paving projects

Limiting the use of some service contracts, which would no include snow removal or pothole patching

Limiting overtime for employees

Delaying new equipment purchases

VDOT also says their $1.4 billion construction budget will not be impacted.